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Description
The Giry’s arrived at Nadir’s house around 5:30pm.
“I don’t live far from here, so I’ll pick you up when you’re ready, alright Christina?” Mrs. Giry called out the window of the parked car. “And make sure you call me and your cousin if anything changes,” she reminded her.
“I will. Thank you so much Mrs. Giry. I’ll see you tomorrow Margaret!” Christina called back. With that, the Giry’s drove off. Christina walked up to the front door and hesitated. “I hope this was the right decision,” she thought. “No. I decided to come here, and I’ll stick to my choice.” She knocked on the door.
Soon, she heard footsteps coming from the house, and Mr. Khan opened the door. He look exhausted, worried, and a little disheveled. “Christina!” he said with quiet surprise. “Whatever are you doing here, my girl?”
“I-I came to see Eric,” the girl stuttered. “I’ve been really worried, and this afternoon I asked Mrs. Giry what was wrong, and she told me Eric was sick. I wanted to come by and see him, and see if I could help...with your permission that is,” she finished nervously.
Nadir stared at Christina blankly for a moment. He was trying to figure out if he should let the girl in and accept her help, or have her leave. He knew he could use the help, but he was afraid that Eric wouldn’t be to pleased to have anyone see him in a vulnerable state...not that he had been exactly coherent for the past day and a half.
“Yes, I could use your help, but I’m not sure if you should see Eric right now. He’s...not doing to well”, Nadir finally replied.
As if on queue, there was raspy cry heard from the back of the house. Mr. Khan ushered Christina in the house, and quickly headed to what Christina assumed was Eric’s room.
“Stay here”, Mr. Khan ordered as he rushed off. As the Middle Eastern man opened the door to Eric’s bedroom, Christina could hear frantic, incoherent mumblings from inside the room. Frightened for her friend, all Christina could do was sit on the couch and wait.

Nadir quickly closed the door behind him and approached Eric’s bed. Eric was thrashing under the heavy down comforter, his mask-less face twisted with fever fueled nightmares.
“Stop...”, he whispered hoarsely. “Don’t make me look, mom! Don’t make me--“ he was interrupted by a coughing fit. Nadir sat on the edge of the bed and carefully sat Eric up and cradled him against his chest, trying to position his shivering body into a more comfortable position. After a few minutes, Eric’s coughing died down. He uttered a raspy sigh.
“Mirrors, mirrors”, Eric mumbled feverishly. Suddenly, Eric grabbed Nadir’s shirt with a surprising amount of strength and yelled, “I’m sorry! I’ll do anything, just don’t make me look in the mirror! Don’t, don’t!”
Nadir grabbed hold of Eric’s hands and gently pried them from his shirt. “Shhh, Eric, it’s alright. No one will make you look in any mirrors. No one is going to harm you”, Nadir whispered firmly, but comfortingly.
“Don’t make me look”, Eric sobbed quietly.
In all the time he had known Eric, Nadir had never seen him in such a state. While he knew the boy was fragile in his way, he had never seen him at the point where he couldn’t physically take care of himself. He had been dealing with Eric’s delirious panic since last night, and his cough had become tight and dry, shaking his skinny body with each hack. Nadir had considered taking Eric to the hospital, but after some research, and a call to his own doctor for advice, he decided it was best to keep the boy at home. He also knew that Eric might have a violent reaction to being taken to hospital, unable to hide behind his mask.
Nadir was worried not only for Eric’s physical health, but his mental health as well. He had known some of what Eric had experienced when he lived with his mother, but to see the boy relieve his memories first hand was something else all together.
Eric stopped raving momentarily.
“Nadir...is someone else here?” he asked.
“Yes. Your friend Christina is here”, Nadir replied.
“Sweet, foolish girl”, he said. “Doesn’t she know I’m sick? I am sick aren’t I? Lord, I feel horrible”, Eric said hoarsely.
“She knows you’re sick. She came here to help.”
“How kind...Why? Does she find a corpse handsome?” Eric was slipping back into delirium. He gave a raspy laugh. “Of course not! Angels never find ugly demons appealing...yet I have an angel here to visit...how kind, how kind...”
“Eric, you need to sleep. Do you think you can do that?” Nadir coaxed. Eric nodded mutely. He gently laid his foster son back on the bed. “Go to sleep. Christina and I will be here.” As Eric closed his eyes, Nadir heard the sick boy whisper tiredly, “Don’t let her see...”

Christina shot up from the couch as Eric’s door opened. Nadir briefly stopped outside of his room, letting out a heavy sigh. Christina noticed that Mr. Khan’s shirt was very wrinkled, making her wonder what had happened in the room. She had heard Eric talking, but she hadn’t been able to discern much, only fragments of words.
Once Nadir had gathered himself, Christina asked, “Mr. Khan, can I please see Eric now? I can sit with him for a while if you want.”
Nadir looked up at his guest. “No, I don’t think you should.” When the girl tried to interrupt, he continued. “Christina, Eric needs his rest. I really cannot let you see him right now. I do not think he would want to be seen as he is right now. He is very prideful in his own way.”
Christina looked crestfallen, but remembered Mrs. Giry’s words from earlier. Finally she asked, “Mr. Khan, if I cannot see Eric right now, can I do something for him?”
“It depends on what it is,” he replied. “What do you wish to do?”
“I would like to make him some tea," she said simply.
A few minutes later, Nadir had shown Christina where the tea things were, and how to use the kettle. The girl now worked in the kitchen, while the exhausted and grateful Middle Eastern man rested on the couch. She wondered why she couldn’t see her friend. Christina knew that there was more than just the fact that Eric was prideful and needed rest. Suddenly, realization struck her.
“The mask”, she thought. “He wears a mask. Why hadn’t I realized? He can’t possibly wear it while he is so sick. He must not want me to see him without it. He’s never taken it off in front of me, or anyone else, except Mr. Khan.”
Christina noticed she had fixed three cups of tea absentmindedly. She stared at them with an empty expression for a moment. “Oh well. Perhaps Mr. Khan would like some. I know I would.” she said to herself.
Nadir looked up as Christina walked in from the kitchen carrying a tray with three mugs. “I got lost in thought, and ended up making three cups by accident. Here,” she said, handing her teacher a cup. “It’s chilly outside, so I thought you and I could both use some. I’m sure you are tired.”
Mr. Khan looked up at his student wearily. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” he replied, taking the cup.
Christina put the tray down on a glass coffee table, turned towards Nadir, and gave him a frank expression. “Mr. Khan, is the reason you don’t want me to see Eric because he isn’t wearing his mask?”
Nadir’s eyes widened briefly, but softened after a moment. “Yes.” he replied simply.
Christina sat down next to him, keeping her gaze firm. “I have another question. Why doesn’t he want me or anyone else to see his face? Why does he wear a mask? I haven’t asked about it until now, because I don’t want to pry. But I need to know. Why can’t I help him?” she asked.
Nadir set his cup down, and turned towards the girl with a stern stare. “Eric’s secrets are his own. It is not my place to tell you what is under his mask, other than his face. You are his friend. Give him your patience. He will tell you eventually. But I warn you, do not take off his mask without his permission. If you do, you will loose everything your friendship has accomplished.”
Christina shrunk back from the Middle Eastern man’s expression. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t pry. I will do my best to be patient, Mr. Khan...but may I ask a few more questions?”
“I suppose”, Nadir replied, his formidable stare relaxing.
“Alright, this might sound silly, but...Eric’s not a famous person or a criminal or anything is he?” she asked with a smirk.
Mr. Khan gave a hearty chuckle. “No he is neither of those, I can tell you that much.”
“Okay. I won’t ask anymore.” she said with a quiet laugh. “Thank you Mr. Khan. I know I have no right to ask. So thank you for telling me what you can.”
“Think nothing of it, my dear.” he said with a kind smile.
“Considering things, I’m assuming you don’t want me to bring Eric his tea, right?” Christina asked. “I suppose you’ll have to do that.”
“Yes, I’ll do that. I’ll be right back.” Mr. Khan replied.

Nadir went and woke Eric up, and said, “Eric, Christina has made you some tea. She is in the living room. Can you sit up?”
Eric gave a small, dry wheeze, and nodded. He slowly sat up, while his foster-father piled pillows behind his son, making it easier for him to sit up.
“Here,” Nadir said, handing his son the cup. “Can you hold it?”
“Yeah,” Eric replied, taking the cup.
“I told her she couldn’t see you right now. I hope I did the right thing.” Nadir said.
Eric groaned and nodded the affirmative. “But...miss her”, he said, closing his eyes.
“I know. But you just need to get better. I think she’ll be here.” Nadir sat up to leave.
“Wait,” Eric rasped. “Can’t go.”
“Do you not want me to leave?” Nadir asked, turning back towards Eric.
“No. Christina. Can she stay? Tonight?” Eric asked.
“Stay here? Eric, I don’t think her family would allow...”
“Ask her. Them. Ask, Nadir.”, Eric said with surprising force.
“Well, we do have a guest room. I shall ask Christina, and then she can call her family. But I am making no promises. I’m not going to spoil you just because you are sick, alright?”
“Fine,” Eric said, closing his eyes once again.

Mr. Khan appeared in the doorway of the living room, where Christina was drinking her tea. “Christina, Eric has a request for you. Even though you can’t see him right now, he wants you to stay the night. We do have a guest room, but I understand if you aren’t comfortable with that.
Christina replied quickly, “No, I would be fine with that, I would just need to call Ryan and Mrs. Giry.”
“Are you sure you are comfortable with this?” he asked.
“Yes, I am. Please, just let me call them. I’m sure they’ll be fine with it.” she said. “Well, maybe not, but I’ll convince them...” Christina thought.

“Ryan, don’t be stubborn, you’ve known Mr. Khan for years! He’s practically your uncle, and he has a guest room! Just let me stay! I’ve already convinced Mrs. Giry, and you know how stern she is.” Christina whispered fiercely into the phone. “It’s one night!”
“I’m not comfortable with this, Christina! Why would he want you to stay there? What if he does something inappropriate?” Ryan replied forcefully into the receiver.
“One, I am his closest friend. You know this. That is reason enough for him to want me here while he is sick. Two, why the hell would he do something inappropriate? He’s not a pervert, and he has pneumonia for heaven’s sakes Ryan! He physically can’t get out of bed! What does Uncle say anyway?” Christina said.
Ryan paused, and then sighed. “He says as long as there’s a guest room, it’s fine, though for the life of me I can’t understand why...”
Christina interrupted. “Ryan, he’s my legal guardian, not you. I’m staying.” she paused, and said in a gentler tone, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I know you’re just watching out for me, but please, let me do this. I’ll be fine, okay? I’m with good people.”
Ryan sighed. “Fine, you win. But you get plenty of rest yourself, got it?”
“Thank you Ryan,” she said warmly. “Can you bring me an extra pair of clothes tomorrow?” Christina asked.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll see you tomorrow Christina,” Ryan replied.
“See you tomorrow,” she said, and hung up.

Christina lay in the bed that Mr. Khan had made for her, wandering in and out of sleep. Old memories of her father and and new worries about Eric kept her from a restful sleep. She stared up at the ceiling, willing to find inspiration and motivation to sleep.
“Maybe I should read...Well, I don’t want to wake Mr. Khan or Eric by wandering around the house looking for a book,” she thought. She sighed. “I guess I should try sleeping again,” she mumbled as she turned over to try and find a comfortable position.
Suddenly, she heard a small muffled noise from the other side of the wall. Eric’s bedroom was next to the guest room, so Christina knew the sound belonged to her friend. He had been quiet since she and Mr. Khan had gone to bed, but now his cries were becoming more and more frequent, and more frantic.
“Mr. Khan needs some rest,” Christina thought. “And I’m here for a reason.” She quickly got out of bed, pulled on her jeans over her baggy long-sleeved shirt, and headed out to the hallway. Nadir hadn’t woken up yet, so she approached Eric’s door. She could hear him mumbling frantically through the door.
“What can I do?” she thought. An idea suddenly hit her. “Maybe...maybe I can sing for him. I always loved it when dad sang to me.” Insecurities about her voice rang through her head. “No. I can’t be afraid. He sang for me, I can do the same for him.” she thought.
Christina knew she wasn’t allowed to see Eric without his mask, but she would wake Nadir if she stayed out in the hall. Slowly, she creeped into Eric’s room and lightly shut the door. Eric’s bed was over on the other side of the room, where he was thrashing and crying out softly in his sleep. While Christina wanted to go over to the bed and comfort him, she knew she couldn’t. Quietly, she slid down the wall by the door, where she couldn’t see Eric’s face, only his form lying in the bed. Christina took and breath, and began singing. It was a lullaby her father had often sung to her. He had told Christina that when she was a small baby, her mother had sung it to her as well, before she had died. The girl changed the lyrics slightly as she sang, just as her father had:

All night, all day,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
All night, all day,
Angels watching over you.

When I sleep and when I wake,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
Every single breath you take,
Angels watching over you.

When I sleep and when I wake,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
Every single step you take,
Angels watching over you.

All night, all day,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
All night, all day,
Angels watching over you.
Angels watching over us.

Christina noticed as she sang, Eric had stopped thrashing and mumbling, and had begun to weep in his sleep. But soon, her friend calmed down, and gave way to sleep. She continued to hum the melody of the lullaby quietly, until she too had fallen asleep, propped up against the wall.

Description
The Giry’s arrived at Nadir’s house around 5:30pm.
“I don’t live far from here, so I’ll pick you up when you’re ready, alright Christina?” Mrs. Giry called out the window of the parked car. “And make sure you call me and your cousin if anything changes,” she reminded her.
“I will. Thank you so much Mrs. Giry. I’ll see you tomorrow Margaret!” Christina called back. With that, the Giry’s drove off. Christina walked up to the front door and hesitated. “I hope this was the right decision,” she thought. “No. I decided to come here, and I’ll stick to my choice.” She knocked on the door.
Soon, she heard footsteps coming from the house, and Mr. Khan opened the door. He look exhausted, worried, and a little disheveled. “Christina!” he said with quiet surprise. “Whatever are you doing here, my girl?”
“I-I came to see Eric,” the girl stuttered. “I’ve been really worried, and this afternoon I asked Mrs. Giry what was wrong, and she told me Eric was sick. I wanted to come by and see him, and see if I could help...with your permission that is,” she finished nervously.
Nadir stared at Christina blankly for a moment. He was trying to figure out if he should let the girl in and accept her help, or have her leave. He knew he could use the help, but he was afraid that Eric wouldn’t be to pleased to have anyone see him in a vulnerable state...not that he had been exactly coherent for the past day and a half.
“Yes, I could use your help, but I’m not sure if you should see Eric right now. He’s...not doing to well”, Nadir finally replied.
As if on queue, there was raspy cry heard from the back of the house. Mr. Khan ushered Christina in the house, and quickly headed to what Christina assumed was Eric’s room.
“Stay here”, Mr. Khan ordered as he rushed off. As the Middle Eastern man opened the door to Eric’s bedroom, Christina could hear frantic, incoherent mumblings from inside the room. Frightened for her friend, all Christina could do was sit on the couch and wait.

Nadir quickly closed the door behind him and approached Eric’s bed. Eric was thrashing under the heavy down comforter, his mask-less face twisted with fever fueled nightmares.
“Stop...”, he whispered hoarsely. “Don’t make me look, mom! Don’t make me--“ he was interrupted by a coughing fit. Nadir sat on the edge of the bed and carefully sat Eric up and cradled him against his chest, trying to position his shivering body into a more comfortable position. After a few minutes, Eric’s coughing died down. He uttered a raspy sigh.
“Mirrors, mirrors”, Eric mumbled feverishly. Suddenly, Eric grabbed Nadir’s shirt with a surprising amount of strength and yelled, “I’m sorry! I’ll do anything, just don’t make me look in the mirror! Don’t, don’t!”
Nadir grabbed hold of Eric’s hands and gently pried them from his shirt. “Shhh, Eric, it’s alright. No one will make you look in any mirrors. No one is going to harm you”, Nadir whispered firmly, but comfortingly.
“Don’t make me look”, Eric sobbed quietly.
In all the time he had known Eric, Nadir had never seen him in such a state. While he knew the boy was fragile in his way, he had never seen him at the point where he couldn’t physically take care of himself. He had been dealing with Eric’s delirious panic since last night, and his cough had become tight and dry, shaking his skinny body with each hack. Nadir had considered taking Eric to the hospital, but after some research, and a call to his own doctor for advice, he decided it was best to keep the boy at home. He also knew that Eric might have a violent reaction to being taken to hospital, unable to hide behind his mask.
Nadir was worried not only for Eric’s physical health, but his mental health as well. He had known some of what Eric had experienced when he lived with his mother, but to see the boy relieve his memories first hand was something else all together.
Eric stopped raving momentarily.
“Nadir...is someone else here?” he asked.
“Yes. Your friend Christina is here”, Nadir replied.
“Sweet, foolish girl”, he said. “Doesn’t she know I’m sick? I am sick aren’t I? Lord, I feel horrible”, Eric said hoarsely.
“She knows you’re sick. She came here to help.”
“How kind...Why? Does she find a corpse handsome?” Eric was slipping back into delirium. He gave a raspy laugh. “Of course not! Angels never find ugly demons appealing...yet I have an angel here to visit...how kind, how kind...”
“Eric, you need to sleep. Do you think you can do that?” Nadir coaxed. Eric nodded mutely. He gently laid his foster son back on the bed. “Go to sleep. Christina and I will be here.” As Eric closed his eyes, Nadir heard the sick boy whisper tiredly, “Don’t let her see...”

Christina shot up from the couch as Eric’s door opened. Nadir briefly stopped outside of his room, letting out a heavy sigh. Christina noticed that Mr. Khan’s shirt was very wrinkled, making her wonder what had happened in the room. She had heard Eric talking, but she hadn’t been able to discern much, only fragments of words.
Once Nadir had gathered himself, Christina asked, “Mr. Khan, can I please see Eric now? I can sit with him for a while if you want.”
Nadir looked up at his guest. “No, I don’t think you should.” When the girl tried to interrupt, he continued. “Christina, Eric needs his rest. I really cannot let you see him right now. I do not think he would want to be seen as he is right now. He is very prideful in his own way.”
Christina looked crestfallen, but remembered Mrs. Giry’s words from earlier. Finally she asked, “Mr. Khan, if I cannot see Eric right now, can I do something for him?”
“It depends on what it is,” he replied. “What do you wish to do?”
“I would like to make him some tea," she said simply.
A few minutes later, Nadir had shown Christina where the tea things were, and how to use the kettle. The girl now worked in the kitchen, while the exhausted and grateful Middle Eastern man rested on the couch. She wondered why she couldn’t see her friend. Christina knew that there was more than just the fact that Eric was prideful and needed rest. Suddenly, realization struck her.
“The mask”, she thought. “He wears a mask. Why hadn’t I realized? He can’t possibly wear it while he is so sick. He must not want me to see him without it. He’s never taken it off in front of me, or anyone else, except Mr. Khan.”
Christina noticed she had fixed three cups of tea absentmindedly. She stared at them with an empty expression for a moment. “Oh well. Perhaps Mr. Khan would like some. I know I would.” she said to herself.
Nadir looked up as Christina walked in from the kitchen carrying a tray with three mugs. “I got lost in thought, and ended up making three cups by accident. Here,” she said, handing her teacher a cup. “It’s chilly outside, so I thought you and I could both use some. I’m sure you are tired.”
Mr. Khan looked up at his student wearily. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” he replied, taking the cup.
Christina put the tray down on a glass coffee table, turned towards Nadir, and gave him a frank expression. “Mr. Khan, is the reason you don’t want me to see Eric because he isn’t wearing his mask?”
Nadir’s eyes widened briefly, but softened after a moment. “Yes.” he replied simply.
Christina sat down next to him, keeping her gaze firm. “I have another question. Why doesn’t he want me or anyone else to see his face? Why does he wear a mask? I haven’t asked about it until now, because I don’t want to pry. But I need to know. Why can’t I help him?” she asked.
Nadir set his cup down, and turned towards the girl with a stern stare. “Eric’s secrets are his own. It is not my place to tell you what is under his mask, other than his face. You are his friend. Give him your patience. He will tell you eventually. But I warn you, do not take off his mask without his permission. If you do, you will loose everything your friendship has accomplished.”
Christina shrunk back from the Middle Eastern man’s expression. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t pry. I will do my best to be patient, Mr. Khan...but may I ask a few more questions?”
“I suppose”, Nadir replied, his formidable stare relaxing.
“Alright, this might sound silly, but...Eric’s not a famous person or a criminal or anything is he?” she asked with a smirk.
Mr. Khan gave a hearty chuckle. “No he is neither of those, I can tell you that much.”
“Okay. I won’t ask anymore.” she said with a quiet laugh. “Thank you Mr. Khan. I know I have no right to ask. So thank you for telling me what you can.”
“Think nothing of it, my dear.” he said with a kind smile.
“Considering things, I’m assuming you don’t want me to bring Eric his tea, right?” Christina asked. “I suppose you’ll have to do that.”
“Yes, I’ll do that. I’ll be right back.” Mr. Khan replied.

Nadir went and woke Eric up, and said, “Eric, Christina has made you some tea. She is in the living room. Can you sit up?”
Eric gave a small, dry wheeze, and nodded. He slowly sat up, while his foster-father piled pillows behind his son, making it easier for him to sit up.
“Here,” Nadir said, handing his son the cup. “Can you hold it?”
“Yeah,” Eric replied, taking the cup.
“I told her she couldn’t see you right now. I hope I did the right thing.” Nadir said.
Eric groaned and nodded the affirmative. “But...miss her”, he said, closing his eyes.
“I know. But you just need to get better. I think she’ll be here.” Nadir sat up to leave.
“Wait,” Eric rasped. “Can’t go.”
“Do you not want me to leave?” Nadir asked, turning back towards Eric.
“No. Christina. Can she stay? Tonight?” Eric asked.
“Stay here? Eric, I don’t think her family would allow...”
“Ask her. Them. Ask, Nadir.”, Eric said with surprising force.
“Well, we do have a guest room. I shall ask Christina, and then she can call her family. But I am making no promises. I’m not going to spoil you just because you are sick, alright?”
“Fine,” Eric said, closing his eyes once again.

Mr. Khan appeared in the doorway of the living room, where Christina was drinking her tea. “Christina, Eric has a request for you. Even though you can’t see him right now, he wants you to stay the night. We do have a guest room, but I understand if you aren’t comfortable with that.
Christina replied quickly, “No, I would be fine with that, I would just need to call Ryan and Mrs. Giry.”
“Are you sure you are comfortable with this?” he asked.
“Yes, I am. Please, just let me call them. I’m sure they’ll be fine with it.” she said. “Well, maybe not, but I’ll convince them...” Christina thought.

“Ryan, don’t be stubborn, you’ve known Mr. Khan for years! He’s practically your uncle, and he has a guest room! Just let me stay! I’ve already convinced Mrs. Giry, and you know how stern she is.” Christina whispered fiercely into the phone. “It’s one night!”
“I’m not comfortable with this, Christina! Why would he want you to stay there? What if he does something inappropriate?” Ryan replied forcefully into the receiver.
“One, I am his closest friend. You know this. That is reason enough for him to want me here while he is sick. Two, why the hell would he do something inappropriate? He’s not a pervert, and he has pneumonia for heaven’s sakes Ryan! He physically can’t get out of bed! What does Uncle say anyway?” Christina said.
Ryan paused, and then sighed. “He says as long as there’s a guest room, it’s fine, though for the life of me I can’t understand why...”
Christina interrupted. “Ryan, he’s my legal guardian, not you. I’m staying.” she paused, and said in a gentler tone, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I know you’re just watching out for me, but please, let me do this. I’ll be fine, okay? I’m with good people.”
Ryan sighed. “Fine, you win. But you get plenty of rest yourself, got it?”
“Thank you Ryan,” she said warmly. “Can you bring me an extra pair of clothes tomorrow?” Christina asked.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll see you tomorrow Christina,” Ryan replied.
“See you tomorrow,” she said, and hung up.

Christina lay in the bed that Mr. Khan had made for her, wandering in and out of sleep. Old memories of her father and and new worries about Eric kept her from a restful sleep. She stared up at the ceiling, willing to find inspiration and motivation to sleep.
“Maybe I should read...Well, I don’t want to wake Mr. Khan or Eric by wandering around the house looking for a book,” she thought. She sighed. “I guess I should try sleeping again,” she mumbled as she turned over to try and find a comfortable position.
Suddenly, she heard a small muffled noise from the other side of the wall. Eric’s bedroom was next to the guest room, so Christina knew the sound belonged to her friend. He had been quiet since she and Mr. Khan had gone to bed, but now his cries were becoming more and more frequent, and more frantic.
“Mr. Khan needs some rest,” Christina thought. “And I’m here for a reason.” She quickly got out of bed, pulled on her jeans over her baggy long-sleeved shirt, and headed out to the hallway. Nadir hadn’t woken up yet, so she approached Eric’s door. She could hear him mumbling frantically through the door.
“What can I do?” she thought. An idea suddenly hit her. “Maybe...maybe I can sing for him. I always loved it when dad sang to me.” Insecurities about her voice rang through her head. “No. I can’t be afraid. He sang for me, I can do the same for him.” she thought.
Christina knew she wasn’t allowed to see Eric without his mask, but she would wake Nadir if she stayed out in the hall. Slowly, she creeped into Eric’s room and lightly shut the door. Eric’s bed was over on the other side of the room, where he was thrashing and crying out softly in his sleep. While Christina wanted to go over to the bed and comfort him, she knew she couldn’t. Quietly, she slid down the wall by the door, where she couldn’t see Eric’s face, only his form lying in the bed. Christina took and breath, and began singing. It was a lullaby her father had often sung to her. He had told Christina that when she was a small baby, her mother had sung it to her as well, before she had died. The girl changed the lyrics slightly as she sang, just as her father had:

All night, all day,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
All night, all day,
Angels watching over you.

When I sleep and when I wake,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
Every single breath you take,
Angels watching over you.

When I sleep and when I wake,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
Every single step you take,
Angels watching over you.

All night, all day,
Angels watching over me, my Lord.
All night, all day,
Angels watching over you.
Angels watching over us.

Christina noticed as she sang, Eric had stopped thrashing and mumbling, and had begun to weep in his sleep. But soon, her friend calmed down, and gave way to sleep. She continued to hum the melody of the lullaby quietly, until she too had fallen asleep, propped up against the wall.